Dear Sister

by Judith Summers

“A lovely, delicately spun tale… spell-binding and sensitively recounted. It’s a mesmerising story with extraordinary staying power.” West Coast Review of Books“Unputdownable.” London Daily News"This very readable tale about two sisters separated but cruelly linked by fate reveals the young author as a writer of talent." Cosmopolitan“An engrossing novel.” Library Journal“Dizzy with plot entanglements, halting coincidences, and lost characters found.” New York Review of Books Rosa and her younger sister Esther are inseparable as children, but as adults they are divided by the Atlantic…and a terrible secret that cannot be told.Brought up in a Jewish ghetto in Russia, where their traditional life is threatened by violence and oppression, the teenage sisters set off for America to join Rosa’s husband, who has recently emigrated there. When Rosa is tricked out of her steamship ticket in England, Esther travels on to New York without family, papers or money. While Rosa lands on her feet in London’s Soho, Esther is totally isolated in an unknown, unforgiving world.Slowly and painfully, the sisters make their separate ways in America and England, their relationship maintained by an intimate yet uneasy correspondence. Suddenly this ceases. It is not until old age that they will meet again to draw together the threads of their exciting, passionate lives – lives have been inextricably entwined in their separation.A deeply moving story of love and betrayal, poverty and success, rivalry and reconciliation

Genres: Historical Fiction

288 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Judith Summers was born and brought up in London, England.

A journalist, novelist and historian,she has published five novels and five non-fiction titles.

Her memoir, My Life with George, and its sequel, The Badness of King George, both became international bestsellers, and her definitive history of Soho won the London Tourist Board Book of the Year award in 1990.


Judith has recently re-published her early novels - Dear Sister, Crime and Ravishment, and Frogs and Lovers - as ebooks.

Reviews

[Liz Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read, couldn't put it down to begin with. Felt the ending was a bit abrupt, could have been better.

[Andrea Seddon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing good read

Thoughrily enjoyed this book. Not read one with such intrigue for a long time. Very couldn't put down able.Must find more Judith's books.

[MR M KARBARON · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poor

Just another idea to spin a sentimental story. Don't bother to read it. An old fashioned girlie book. Oh well

[Alix Jones]

Great story

I enjoyed the story, a lot of spelling mistakes ruined it a bit though. The ending was abrupt but overall enjoyable

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an absolutely fabulous read. Spanning a period of 80 years from the start of the 20th century, it is the story of two sisters, Rosa and Esther, who leave their home in a Russian Jewish ghetto to follow Rose's husband to America. When they are accidentally separated at the docks, one sister goes on to America whilst the other is forced to remain in England.

What follows is a saga of love, passion, betrayal, lies, secrets and guilt. The story is well told and rich in detail and I learned an awful lot about the way of life for a Hassidic Jewish girl at that time, both in the ghetto and then following each girl to see how they adapted to living lives that were not riddled with persecution in a new culture. The characters were well drawn and developed and, for the most part, likeable although I did find myself really hating one person with a passion for a while! The story moves at a good pace and flows nicely.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read which I would recommend to anyone.

[G.J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story of hardship, poverty , betrayal , lies and regrets. A sweeping story covering the lives of two Jewish sisters caught up in the terrors of living in Russia in the early 1900's.The different directions their lives take and the difficulties each sister faced is told in great detail, but for me the overriding feeling is that it is depressing tale with a rather unsatisfactory ending.

[Tessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a very touching story of two sisters so very different and how they were separated so one lived in England and the other in America. They communicated through letters. I'm not sure about the ending whether it was really believable.

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really sad at times...it made me cry :(
Even the end was half depressing, when it was supposed to be happy!
But it was a pretty awesome book overall :)

[Lisa Trup · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent read, first time I have read this author, but I shall be looking for more. Superb story telling, and conclusive ending. Just what I like from a book!